Hopefully, this space will evolve to include numerous links to commentary and analysis of the recent NBA betting scandal involving referee Tim Donaghy, pro gambler James Battista, and intermediary Tommy Martino. For now, my host blog will have to do.

This is ridiculously light, for a host of reasons (not the least of which is that the established/public version of the scandal is overly simplistic and error-prone, making a synopsis here problematic). So…here at least is the state of affairs regarding the offending parties:

Each of the three participants in the NBA betting scandal pleaded guilty and was sentenced to federal prison. Pro gambler Jimmy Battista and his lifelong pal Tommy Martino were sentenced on July 11, 2008, while referee and mutual friend (and fellow Cardinal O’Hara High alum) Tim Donaghy was sentenced on July 14, 2008. For his admitted crimes (i.e., illegal gambling), Battista received a sentence of 15 months. Donaghy and Martino were each sentenced to 12 months in prison, and all three men began serving time in September 2008. As of October 2009, each man has successfully completed his term. The seminal coverage of the scandal in the NY Post on July 20, 2007: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/nba_in_fix_mzNx4ZfycI4QMuYYUlReVP

Link to an ESPN story covering referee Tim Donaghy’s sentencing. There is an incredible assortment of links to scandal analysis in the sidebar (I’ll be addressing the predictable, though arguably misguided, focus on Donaghy in the very near future): http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3509440

Though not expressly my research area, illicit gambling has never been far from my organized crime work. Certainly, the two-degrees of separation that often mark the underworld commonly involve the extortion of bookies by local syndicates. Further still, organized crime groups usually have complex relationships with bookies (and with bettors, for that matter). These complicated areas include: financial assistance (usually in the form of loan sharking by the syndicate, though there may be occasions bookies and bettors in fact assist the crime organization) to “mediation” between various parties to money laundering and so on. For these reasons – and more, I wholeheartedly welcomed the opportunity to research the recent NBA betting scandal when granted access to the scandal’s progenitor, professional gambler James Battista, back in March of 2008.

Researching the NBA betting scandal has consumed my time and energy since I first interviewed the man known in big-time betting circles as “the Sheep” – Jimmy “Baba” Battista – in the spring of 2008. This, in large part, explains the lack of updated blog postings here. The new book, like practically all else I have penned, relies upon a mix of numerous interviews, court and law enforcement documents, and related media coverage. Battista did not cooperate with authorities, and has not spoken publicly about the extent, duration and mechanics of the outrageous scheme. Though the book details the activities which placed him in federal prison, it also discusses his remarkable bookmaking and betting career, and examines the fascinating, close-knit fraternity of the world’s most consequential sports bettors.

Now that the research and writing of the tentatively titled Not Sharp Enough: Confessions of a Professional Gambler is all but complete, more will be posted about the current project as events warrant.